LIVING WITH LIVING FOODS

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- Documentary film about those who are healed and Living foods/Raw vegan food or some other life transformation has played a role in healing

Updated 28th of Nov 2013

Stalkers in Talvivaara

MINING ZONES

In the beginning it felt like a daydream. "A God's gift for the whole Kainuu region" wrote a local newspaper in 2007. And the hype was spread around the world. New green, almost organic and cheap bioheapleaching methods could bring a revolution to mining.

But nobody was told about hundreds of thousands tons of uranium which would come out from the stone along with other metals of nickel, copper and zinc.

LAST YOIK IN SAAMI FORESTS?

a documentary video for UN

In northern Lapland, over a thousand kilometres north of Finland's capital Helsinki, lies the largest remaining wilderness in Western Europe. These woodless hills, mountains and forests on the boreal forests line, are the homeland of Northern Europe's only indigenous people, the Saami. The land rights issue in the Saami homeland remains unresolved.

Victory in Saami forests- Saami reideer herders and Greenpeace pleased with the resolution

The long standing conflict between Saami reindeer herders and Finland´s State forest service Metsähallitus has been resolved in Northern Lapland, Nellim. The agreement saves the majority of mature forests in the area for the next 20 years.Greenpeace believes that twenty years is enough time to find a permanent solution to the conflict between traditional reindeer herding and forestry.

International attention helped

The conflict has been going on for decades. A resolution was finally made possible after a heavy struggle by the reindeer herders and international campaigning by Greenpeace. One part of the growing international attention has also been the documentary made of the conflict. The movie Last yoik in Saami forests? has been screened in 35 film festivals around the world and also in Universities and ngo-screenings. Look more: http://elonmerkki.net/en/presentations.html

-As a documentarist I am very happy if the movie has had a positive effect and for the next screenings it is fine to have the possibility to tell these good news, says director Hannu Hyvönen.

The next film festivals for the documentary are in September in Green Screen Festival http://www.greenscreen-festival.de/e1.html in Germany and in Zagrebi Ekofestival http://zagrebi.com/en/ in Croatia.

The big hope among Saami reindeerherders is now that a similar solution could be achieved in the other Saami reindeer herding regions as well.

Finnish government stepping up logging operations in Saami reindeer forests

Battle over Finnish Saami forests gains attention at International Film Festival

The documentary movie 'Last Yoik in Saami Forests?' about forest conflicts in Finnish Lapland, has won an award in the "Green Planet Blues" ecological movie festival in Romania. The festival was the first-ever film festival focusing on environmental issues in Eastern Europe.

Last Yoik, directed by Finnish Hannu Hyvönen, tells the story of a conflict between traditional use of forests and modern industrial forestry. The Finnish government is logging some of the world's northernmost forests and thus harming the traditional reindeer herding livelihood of the indigenous people of North Europe, the Saami.

The forest conflict has been a subject of heated debate in Finland since 2005, when environmental organisations such as Greenpeace publicly joined with the reindeer herders and Saami organisations to oppose the destructive logging. As a result of the conflict, UN Human Rights Committee has ordered the Finnish state to stop logging in some of the disputed areas, and the Finnish paper giant Stora Enso was dropped out from an ethical investment listing because of their wood purchases from the disputed forests. Since 2005, major forest industry companies StoraEnso and Metsäliitto have refused to buy wood from the disputed areas, but Finnish governmental forest enterprise has started selling the conflict timber for heating plants and smaller traders. Last Yoik follows the conflict through 2005 to this day, and shows the many ways of social pressure that fell heavily on people who stepped up to oppose the logging.

-What raised the interest of the public in Romania, still recovering from the heavy dictatorship of Ceaucescu, was the fact that even in a European democracy measures that resemble totalitarian way of ruling are used, says film maker mr. Hannu Hyvönen.

While the almost intolerable situation of the indigenous Saami reindeer herders is the main aspect of the documentary, the audience also found the fate of northern wilderness forests important. For many, it was hard to understand that the fragile Northern forests of Lapland are being cut down only to be used as a raw material for pulp and paper, or to be burned in heating plants.

-It is the Finnish government who are to blame for the bad situation and not the Finnish people. Finns do appreciate the Saami culture. The problem is that in our country there has not been an open dialogue about the conflict, and the great majority of Finnish people do not even know what is happening in the forests of Lapland. We were hoping that this documentary would have opened up the discussion but up to this date no Finnish TV company has agreed to broadcast the movie, says mr. Hyvönen.

'Last Yoik in Saami Forests?' has been shown on the Swedish television, SVT, and will soon be broadcast in Estonia. The documentary has been screened in around thirty film festivals around the world and has received several awards.

The conflict over Saami Homeland's forests is heating up again. This winter, the Finnish governmental logging enterprise Metsähallitus has announced new plans to log in the forests that Saami reindeer herders have mapped as vitally important for reindeer grazing. Repeated calls by the reindeer herders to save the forests their livelihood depends on have not changed the government's plans. Simultaneously, Finland is still struggling to ratify the ILO 169 Convention on indigenous peoples' rights.

Director Hannu Hyvönen concludes: -It seems that we need an international solidarity movement to support and protect the Saami rights, their culture and the Northern forests. To arrange public screenings of the movie please contact Hannu Hyvönen.

Last yoik accepted in competition section in Guangzhou International Documentary Film Festival in China

Documentary movie, Last yoik in Saami forests? has been accepted in the competition section of the Guangzhou International Documentary Film Festival in China

This festival is Chinese state level international professional event and market focusing on documentary which started in 2003. The festival held in Guangzhou annually includes the following major activities: A thematic Competition, Documentary Market, Public Screenings and Seminars. GZ DOC 2008 will be held from December 1 to December 5. The theme of the competition this year is Earth - Our Home Look more: http://www.gzdoc.com/

Other festivals in November

During November the documentary is screened also in some other international and Finnish film festivals. Movie is taking part in Cine Gaia - International Environmental Film Festival, Rio de Janeiro http://www.cinegaia.org.

The premiere in France is in Paris: Festival International du Film d'Environnement, Cinema La Pagode, Paris, 2008 The director of film will be taking part in discussion after screening. www.festivalenvironnement.com

The first screening in Russia is television film festival in Murmansk http://www.tv21.ru/festival/index.php?menuid=8

In Finland there is two screenings. Its screened in Wildlife Vaasa film festivals where it was awarded by Environmental Special Award by West Finland Environmental Centre

http://wildlife.vaasa.fi/

On sunday 23th November the documentary is screened in Lens politica- film festival in Helsinki. The director Hannu Hyvönen will be taking part in the discussion after screening. www.lenspolitica.net

Press release 18.7.2008

The best film on relationship between man and changing nature

Last yoik awarded in Pärnu Film Festival

The XXII Pärnu International Documentary and Anthropology Film Festival awarded Last Yoik in Saami Forests in 12th July in Estonia. http://www.chaplin.ee/english/filmfestival/ -This awaed belongs to all of us who have worked with the prosess, specially to those one who had courage to express their thoughts in documentary, said director Hannu Hyvönen in award seremony. The jury spoke out the hope that this important documentary should be shown in Estonian television and hopefully also finally in Finnish television. -I really hope that we could open the real dialogue in Finland about the forest conglict and Saami rights. - Its necessary for other fenno-ugrian people to know what is going on in Finnish Upper Lappland today, said Hannu Hyvönen in Estonian television interview made by festival leader, film maker and parlamentarian Mark Soosaar

-We were very glad of having Hannu Huvönen's film in the program of XXII Pärnu Film Festival. Estonia faces the same problem: under the pressure of huge and powerful international companies sacred forests of our ancestors are in serious danger to die. The ecological system of forests is quite complicated and fragile. The forest isn't just a number of trees. The forest is a home for many species - hundreds of different plants, insects, birds, animals. The forest is a place were life is born and must be continued... Mark Soosaar Head of Pärnu Film Festival and MP of Riigikogu

The best topical relevance and interpretation

- Last yoik awarded in Global Indigenous Film Festival in Nepal

The indigenous peoples film festivals in Katmandu were a great success for the organizers

There were more than fifty movies invited in film festivals and Last yoik in Saami forests? was one of four awarded. -There was lot of interest on the situation of Saami people and the role of Finnish state in the conflict was a surprise for many, comments Hannu Hyvönen, the director of the movie. -I had to address that the conflict is not between Finnish ordinary people and the Saami. Most of Finnish cityzens respect Saami culture. However, unfortunately this conflict has not got enough room in Finnish main media and people just dont know the destrcution what happens in Saami home area in Lapland. In this situation we are really happy and honoured of the award. All attention for the situation is helping to raise the needed discussion.

The situation in Nepal is now extremely interesting specially by the viewpoint of indigenous peoples in Nepal. There exists a great cultural diversity in the country with more than 100 ethnic groups with their own languages and culture. The number of indigenous people is about 40% of the whole population. Earlier these people were the most lowest cast but now when the feodal kingdom has collapsed and Nepal is seeking its way to parlamentarism the situation is changed. The optimism among indigenous peoples was strongly present also in film festivals.

Hannu Hyvönen made lot of documentation and interviews on the situation in Nepal and those footages can soon be seen in this webpage.

Press release 2th May 2008

Invitation to indigenous film festival in Nepal

We are very honoured to get invitation to Nepal International Indigenous Film festival held in Katmandu 4.-7.6.2008www.ifanepal.org.np

Press release 17th April

The film "LAST YOIK IN SAAMI FORESTS?" has been selected to take part in International Documentary Official Section to compete for the Golden Sun Award from 15th Catalonia Environmental International Film Festival that will take place in El Prat de Llobregat (Barcelona) next June (31st May-8th June) http://www.ficma.com/Bienvenida.html

Press release 31.3.2008 Finland

Festival tour continous in East and West

We are happy to announce that these three interesting film festivals has accepted our documentary ( go to film page ) in their programs:

Press release 22.3.2008

Kathrine Kight Award in Earth Vision Film festivals

The festival trip in the grass root film festivals in Santa Cruz was successfull and interesting experience. The documentary Last yoik in Saami forests? was awarded with Gatharine Knigt Award. The director of the documentary took part the festivals and made there also two videoworks. -I heard about the ongoing tree sitting demonstration in campus area and wanted to look what it about. What I find is an extraordinary combination: university in wilderness. Unfortunately it seems that this unique special quality of that university is not fully understood and developing plans treat to destroy the spirituality and ecology around the university. Look the video here:

Last yoik in Saami forests going to Earth Vision International Environmental Film Festival

We are proud and happy to announce that the US premiere of Last yoik in Saami forest ? - documentary for UN (final version) will be screened in Earth Vision International Film Festival on Tuesday March 4th at the Rio Theatre, Santa Cruz

EarthVision International Environmental Film Festival 2008 celebrates its 10th year of highlighting films about crucial ecological issues, providing a venue for independent filmmakers from around the world and inspiring people to get involved in creating positive change for the planet.

EarthVision 2008 will be held March 3rd - 8th, 2008 with a special screening for Act Locally on Earth Day in April. Award winning films will be screened at the Mello Center in Watsonville and at the Rio Theatre and the Veteran's Memorial Hall in Santa Cruz. EarthVision will culminate with a celebration honoring the filmmakers and people on the front lines of the environmental movement.

The director of the documentary Hannu Hyvönen will be in Santa Cruz during the whole festival. Contact: hannu (at) elonmerkki.net Read more:http://www.earthvisionfest.org/

Press release 19th February 2008 - Finland

Case of Finnish forestry and indigenous rights

Illegal logging in Saami home area in Lapland?

Finland Institut in Deutchland is arranging a documentary screening and panel discussion on the situation in Finnish Lapland. The event is on Thursday 21th February in University of Humboldt in Berlin.

SKÁBMAGOVAT FILM FESTIVAL CELEBRATES ITS 10th ANNIVERSARY

Skábmagovat -the Indigenous Peoples Film Festival in Inari, northernmost Finland, is arranged for the tenth time January 23rd to 28th, 2008. The theme of the festival this year is beside Sámi films also Native American film production.

Press release 25.9.2007

Last yoik in Saami forests in Planet in Focus film festival in Canada

*Planet in Focus* is Canada's most acclaimed International Environmental Film and Video festival. The annual film fest showcases compelling documentaries, animation, dramatic features, shorts, and experimental works that celebrate, question, and establish varied ways of viewing the state of our world.

The 8th Annual Festival scheduled to take place October 24-28, 2007. View the festival schedule here:

For the festival screening we have made the updated version of the documentary. The latest move of Finnish state own company was to start logging in conflict forests in May 2007. But becouse no one of the big paper companies did not want to buy that wood, the stocks from wilderness ended up to the local energy company to be burned for heating. The president of Saami Parliament, Pekka Aikio gives his answer to the question: Why Finnish state and Inari county are burning down Saami forests.

More information from the director and producer Hannu Hyvönen hannu[at]elonmerkki.net tel +358408317733